


A Song in the Storm

by ProlixProse



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Fluff, Coworkers AU, Hurt/Comfort, It's gonna get sad, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Slow Burn, fair warning, rainy day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-06-06 15:37:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6759799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProlixProse/pseuds/ProlixProse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kei looked at him and Tadashi shrunk under his gaze. “Storms cause power outages. They cause colds. They’re a sweeping mop on society.”<br/>“Maybe society needs a mop every now and then?” Tadashi spoke up with a shrug. Kei only turned his head to look out at the road. Tadashi rubbed his thumb over the end of his umbrella. “Not that-- you know, that I’m meaning to argue with you, but…”<br/>Tadashi sighed to himself, shaking his head in a small manner and looking up. “The rain is nice sometimes…”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wind Chimes

**Author's Note:**

> oh god what am i doing i should be editing this dayum essay but haha i wrote this instead, looky there. im totally under control. anyway, hope you like my first post on ao3! (god, i hope someone likes this trash) i tried to make it less confusing and full of writerly fluff when i went and edit it like the fifth time, (it's still got too much fluff about wind chimes i mean, jesus, i got carried away), so it may still have some bugs. you can leave any comments if you like, but preferably nice ones? haha, yeah... hope you all are having a sunshiny day, even if it's raining! thank you for reading~ 
> 
> -Prolix

Wind chimes.

Staring into a sky as bleak as his morning coffee, Tsukishima Kei understood the necessity for those dangling pieces of glass and metal.

He watched them sway with the chilled, winter breeze, blowing their tune softly through a quiet existence. Their song was enticing and he couldn't help the slow lull of his head and his drooping eyes.

He opened them to find zooming cars on a bridge and a man running beneath a shield of a white umbrella. His eyes stung as he watched the passerby, a punch to his gut, a silent blow to the chest.

Dripping drops of crystal rain shed like falling tears to the pavement and still, the wind chimes’ tune sang throughout this stormy afternoon. Kei circled his eyes over this new-found intriguing object.

But of course, as do all things in his life, the allure soon vanished and he was left with only light sounds against a dark backdrop. He grew bored of them, finding them only a momentary companion in this solitary moment.

"Why did you like the rain, again?" He murmured under his breath, almost devoid of sound, the question lingering in the silent air, no one to answer.

He sniffed, cleared his dry throat, and began his walk. He didn't turn back to the wind chimes, but could distinctly hear their slow clatter of a carol. It sounded of a goodbye, but he didn't pay any mind, only ruffling his hand through his damp mess of blonde hair.

The chimes sounded in his ears until he turned the corner and into a busier street, losing their tune completely. Yet, still they stayed, swaying.

* * *

 

Yamaguchi Tadashi watched the rain splatter against a cafe window, anticipating the end of his phone call.

“How serious is it?” He asked, lowering his voice when a couple walked past his table. He dropped his head lower, his left palm only barely keeping himself upright as he listened to the other end of the call. The doctor’s voice was solemn. Tadashi bit his lip.

“...I don’t… is it really-- I mean, what are--what are my options? We… have options, don’t we?”

The voice was quiet, but after a moment they conceded, planning out different routes, but Tadashi could feel a hammer hit his brain. He already knew the circumstances were too far gone from his control.

He put a hand to his mouth, muffled the long, shaky breath escaping his lips. He nodded again, perked a smile for god knows what reason. He felt he had to smile.

“Yes… I can meet with you Sunday. Thank you for your time… Goodbye.”

He set his phone on the table in front of him, pushed his hand through his hair and stayed silent for a few, long moments. There was a numbness in his motions. He blinked, tried to cry, tried to prove to himself the reality that now faced him. But all he could do was sit, without thought, without motion. Sit and breathe and listen to the rain.

He stared at the coffee on the tabletop, as bleak as the sky. With a last sigh and wipe at his eyes, he shook out his shoulders, wrapped a hand around his umbrella, and began his walk back to work.

He could just forget this ever happened. It was no big deal. Really…

He didn’t believe this could have...

No, nevermind. Everything was going to be fine.

Besides. They had options.

Tadashi turned his head up, blinked several times over. His sneakers squeaked, sloshed in the dark puddled pavement. The drops splattered, endless, on his white umbrella, covered in the wetness of the bursting clouds. The splashes hit his ankles and he could feel the cold touches of water through his socks.

His eyes wandered to a breathtaking view.

Buildings, all covered in the same murky atmosphere. His eyes shifted to their crowned roofs, to each individual door with varying designs, holding the interiors of places he would likely never know. The bridge was something he also marveled. Here, right underneath, was a sight he looked forward to every day when returning to his job. Vehicles swam in this weather, gliding to destinations he would also likely never know.

He could hear the drops patter above him and the chorus of chattering traffic and the tinkling of wind chimes which whizzed past his ears. They sounded of bells he remembered in his childhood. A small smile met his lips as he remembered tales of fairy dust and magical lands his mother would associate with the sweet sound.

He felt something wet hit his cheek. He tried not to notice; it was probably only the rain.

He rounded the corner, the sound getting further and further away until he found himself no longer able to hear it. The melody drowned out in favor of vibrant cars and a mixture of continuous noise. The chimes became lost.

He returned to work, the umbrella releasing the gathered water atop its head and shaking out the rain.

The ticks of time, always in its perpetual rush, kept him going and he found his way back to his desk as before. The wind chime tune shifted into a drawer in his mind and was kept away.

* * *

 

Kei walked down the hall and to his office, and only then did he slump and release his heavy sigh. His fingers tousled his locks of hair and his lids covered his eyes of reality. He breathed in... out... in... out…

"Tsukishima-san..."

He opened his eyes and straightened up in his seat, looking up at… an intern, was it? He could see him in slight concern, his brown hair spilling small droplets from the prior rain. He sat up, rubbing his hand over his eyes.

"Yes, what is it?" He answered, voice groggy, and stood, made a gesture for the man to tuck in his shirt.

Tadashi nodded back before hastily tucking it in, heated cheeks filled with embarrassment. He clutched the papers in his hands, squeezing them tight. He cleared his throat, always intimidated by the blonde. It wasn’t exactly that Tadashi was scared of his superior, even with his tall stature, but… he held an air about him. Almost like a spiked wall which hid all the man's inner emotions. Tadashi wasn't sure he wanted to know what lay behind that wall. Well, maybe that's the thing that scared him.

But, it was really a small admiration which overrides all Tadashi’s fears of the man. Ever since he’d been introduced on his first day. He liked his honesty. Above that, he was simply grateful to him.

"You... missed the meeting today."

Kei leaned on his desk, folded his arms in front of his chest. He considered the man in front of him, but left his eyes trained elsewhere in thought, brows knit.

"Was there anything important I missed?" He asked, absentminded.

"Well, we were discussing design ideas for the new building hall down--"

"Anything important that I don't already know?" He raised an eyebrow, watching the other shift.

Tadashi took a breath and shook his head.

"No, sir,” Tadashi breathed out, noticed the dark circles under the other’s eyes. He kept quiet.

Tadashi handed him the papers he'd been clutching and Kei took them, silent. He stood back, watched as Tsukishima stayed sitting at the edge of his desk in thought.

The bells of a clock rang outside in the distance and Tadashi nodded to the man before leaving. Even as his actions were left unnoticed, Tadashi still felt a small heat rise to his cheeks from embarrassment at himself. He simply shook himself out of it in the hallway, took a breath, and returned to the solitude at his desk.

* * *

 

The rain never let up. At least for a moment it may have. But the day was immersed in a dark cloud which hung over it. The white umbrella made its way up once more. Tadashi could have sworn it may have smiled at it.

It was cold out, but to Tadashi, the cold was comforting, the wind soothing against his cheeks. His eyes glinted of a rainbow of umbrellas and rain coats, all splashed in the same water, all sharing the same road and walking the same paths.

Work was slow that day. Hours were shorter due to a storm brewing. He never called his mother about it, couldn’t bring himself to talk to her on the phone before talking to her in person. It felt strange, and he knew why it felt strange, but he pushed it out of his mind, became numb to the feeling once more. He crossed the corner from the busy center street of dazzling lights and rushing people to the quiet one with the bridge and the wind chimes. His eyes lit when he heard them. They clanked in the breeze and sang out in a bittersweet tune. He glanced to his side at them, pieces of shells and colorful glass--

He tilt his head. The wind chimes still swayed as a clap of thunder sounded out in the wind.

"Tsukishima-san?" He called out to a man beneath the coverings of a gutter and a flickering light next to the wind chimes. A blonde head of hair shifted. Tadashi could see the squint of his eyes through his fogged glasses as he walked near.

Kei lifted his head in response, a pair of white headphones placed atop his shoulders.

Tadashi came closer, looking around and facing him, but once he met him, he didn't know what to say. He had no response and wondered why he called out to him at all. Maybe he was bothering him. Maybe he should just head home.

They stayed in silence for a few seconds more. Then Tadashi, pushed by courage, closed his umbrella, and gathered under the gutter cover with him.

Kei raised a brow at him, leaning against the brick wall.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Yamaguchi-san?" He asked.

Tadashi looked at him and gave a small, shy smile.

"Well, don't you?"

Kei rolled his eyes to the side, stuck his hands in his pockets.

"You shouldn’t answer a question with a question."

"...I'm stalling then," Tadashi spoke up and gave him a pointed look.

"Would you mind answering mine now?" He asked, though the sentence grew softer towards the end as his confidence dwindled.

"Stalling? For what?" The man inquired and gave him a skeptical glance. Tadashi only sighed and tapped his fingers on his umbrella.

"Tsukishima-san, it's rude to answer a question with a question," he sang quietly back to him.

Kei rolled his eyes and looked up. He stayed quiet and Tadashi stayed patient.

"I'm listening." He made a gesture with a wave of his hand to the city and the chimes and the bridge.

"You can hear everything right here," he murmured. "...It's nice."

Tadashi looked at him with understanding, not saying anything for a while and attempted to listen to his sounds. The sprays of water from a traveling car. The taps of shoes against sidewalk. The distant thrums of thunder.

He decided to answer his question.

"I'm not ready to go home yet," he admitted and looked at the bridge.

"Hm?" Kei asked, lost in thought.

“You asked why I was stalling. I'm not ready to go home."

Kei decided not to ask further, only nodded and glanced at the rain, looking at his surroundings with distaste. He honestly couldn’t fathom how someone could like this weather.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Tadashi asked. Kei glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, forgetting he was there for a moment. He scrunched his brows.

“What?”

“The wind chimes,” Tadashi inclined his head to the object over their heads. He made a small smile, but Kei only shrugged. Tadashi felt himself shift. “It’s just… sounds kinda nice with the rain.”

“I hate this weather.”

“Why?”

“Why would anyone like it is the question.” Kei folded his arms over his chest, but Tadashi could only shake his head, hum a quiet laugh.

“I think you might just be looking at it in the wrong way.”

Kei looked at him and Tadashi shrunk under his gaze. “Storms cause power outages. They cause colds. They’re a sweeping mop on society.”

“Maybe society needs a mop every now and then?” Tadashi spoke up with a shrug. Kei only turned his head to look out at the road. Tadashi rubbed his thumb over the end of his umbrella. “Not that-- you know, that I’m meaning to argue with you, but…”

Tadashi sighed to himself, shaking his head in a small manner and looking up. “The rain is nice sometimes…”

Kei blinked, glanced down to the sidewalk and back to the street. He said nothing on the subject further, only glanced at the man trying to make conversation with him on one of the worst days of his year. Somehow, he felt no real anger toward him, didn't feel the need to place on his headphones.

Maybe it was nice to talk to someone again. To conversate.

He shook his head at himself.

"How long have you worked here?" He asked, sudden.

"Two years,” Tadashi answered immediately. “You, um, you actually showed me around on my first day. You seemed..." he trailed off and widened his eyes, looking away.

Kei furrowed his brows.

"I seemed?" He asked lowly.

"You just seemed a lot... happier..." Tadashi finished softly, and for the second time that day, heat rose to his cheeks. But, this was something else entirely. The worst part was being unable to clarify the feeling. "Your... your eyes were brighter. A-and... I don’t know, you just seemed… happy."

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The rain fell slower and softer. Both heads stared up to a shifting cloud. Though this wasn't the last of the storm, it was a break in it.

"Didn't know you paid so much attention to me," Kei decided to say.

He didn't notice his companion in a fluster. His cheeks were rosy, knuckles white from how hard he clutched the umbrella. All coherent words stuck in his throat.

"I guess I did." Tadashi felt the words slip out, winced at himself.

There was silence once more. A shifting pause. A thoughtful quiet.

"You seemed a lot happier then, too," Kei said, glancing at Tadashi for a moment. Tadashi looked back to him, furrowed his brows with slight shock. Kei sighed.

“I can tell. That whole trying to cover something with a smile look. It’s very obvious on you,” He shook his shoulders, looked to the bridge. “It’s ridiculous to do that.”

Kei turned his head. Tadashi looked down.

“So what’s wrong?”

Tadashi bit his lip, blinked, counted his shallow breaths.

“My mom’s sick.”

He wasn't sure why he'd said the words, and he wasn't sure how his supervisor, a stranger, could see his facade. But, he felt a weight release when he'd spoken, didn't know the reason for that either. The last drops of rain signaled their final goodbye. Both found the silence as more of a raw, openness than a shallow comfort. Kei only stared at the pavement. Tadashi decided that closing his eyes was the best option.

“I’m sorry--”

“We have options,” Tadashi spoke quickly, looked up to the man beside him. A stray tear fell down his left cheek. Kei noted the freckles against it. He only nodded back.

Silence.

“It’s my brother’s birthday.” He let the words drift in the air, noticed the hard tug at his chest and a constriction in his throat. He swallowed. “He…” He started to say, but withdrew. He had no reason to tell the man anything and yet he mustered half of the truth.

“I haven’t seen him in a while.” He ended up saying, masking his voice, tone hard.

Tadashi looked up, made a half smile, apologetic yet hopeful.

“Maybe when you talk again, you can tell him Happy Birthday. Break the ice?” He sniffed into his sleeve, wiped the last of his straying tears. Kei only narrowed his eyes at his shoes, gave another shrug.

He looked above at the slow perpetuum of falling drops. The sky was beginning to clear just enough to be able to walk underneath.

“I hope,” Kei started to say under his breath. Tadashi peeked up, furrowed his brows and inclined his head. Kei took a breath. “Hope everything works out. For your mom.”

Tadashi widened his eyes, blinked. “Thank you, Tsukishima-san.”

Kei only nodded. With not much more than a last sigh and flickering wave, he started to walk, his hands fitting his earphones above his head.

Tadashi watched him leave and felt a sudden flip in his abdomen. Something he never knew he could feel. He brushed his fingers across his wet, freckled cheek, walking away as well. The white umbrella rest atop his head once more and the wind chimes sang loud, even past the corner.


	2. Filtering Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hardest part was the silence responded back to him in light breathes and beeping monitors.

The hospital windows filtered light into the room, and some of it managed to capture on his brother’s features, hair shining gold, eyelashes glistening. 

Kei set his jacket on the chair beside him, running his hand over it twice, patting it down. It kept him busy for a long moment, but then that passed, and well, here he was. He stared across him, toward the array of balloons and flowers and cards with their ‘Happy Birthday’ signs and ‘Get Well Soon’ cursive writing. He narrowed his eyes at them, taking a shuddered breath. 

The hardest part was the silence responded back to him in light breathes and beeping monitors. 

Usually, that was when Kei would feel compelled to fill it with his own thoughts after reading and checking his brother’s vitals. Sometimes words would leave his mouth without filter, irritation and confusion sketching his features. Always, they directed toward the nurse who came in without all the answers, a doctor who told him empty faith of future recovery, and the well-meaning friend or coworker who would drop in every so often. 

Kei didn’t want their preachings, didn’t care for their thoughts or forms of comfort. And, even as some part of him knew it wasn’t their fault for any of it… he felt the need to place his anger somewhere. At least, somewhere besides himself. 

He blinked, shifted in his seat and feeling that pang at his heart that happened too often these days. Guilt.

Book placed on his lap, he stared down at the cover, then at his brother’s hand on the bed.

“This book is getting more and more ridiculous as I read along...” he murmured, hand resting on his chin as he flipped the page. He glanced up. “But you’re a sucker for fantasy romance. Is that even a genre?”

Akiteru breathed next to him. 

Kei turned his head to the window. A sunset was growing in color outside, the wind blowing across the shades and the birds bidding their farewell as they flew past. 

“The characters are so whiny and predictable. Hm, and don’t get me started on the villain. They’re completely flat.” 

His voice was soft, some words barely escaping his lips with sound. Kei shook his head, quirked a brow, then cast his gaze back to the bed. 

Akiteru breathed next to him. 

He sighed, small, closing the book. 

“Well, I read the first chapter. Happy?” He murmured to the air, laying the book on the table and removing his glasses. He rubbed his eyes beneath, felt something wet on his eyelid, quickly wiping it away.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, warm and gentle. His body stiffened before a warm voice met his ear. 

“Go home and rest, dear.” A light kiss was placed to the top of his head. He felt his shoulders relax, but he did not rise from his seat. 

“You think he’ll let me?” He quipped, picking up the book again, rubbing his thumb over the spine. He gave Akiteru a hard stare.

Another rise and fall of his chest.

“I’m taking the lack of response as a no,” he said beneath his breath. 

His mother released a small huff of laughter. Kei was grateful to hear it, fighting the lump in his throat. 

His mother came around him to sit at the chair adjacent. Her eyebrows knit, lips contorted into a tight smile, she greeted Akiteru with small murmurings. 

Kei watched her, eyes studying the dark bags beneath her own. He stayed silent, knowing how the conversation would play out by now if he pried. 

“He’s looking healthier, yeah?” She asked, brushing his hair back with the soft grazing of her fingertips. Kei didn’t respond, let her believe what she could. His beliefs were thin, fragile, and she did not need to hear them. She looked up at him again, tilting her head. 

“You’re not eating again,” she chided, frowning at him. Kei looked up, eyes flitting over her face, rubbed his thumb harder on the spine of the book. 

“Are you sleeping?” He asked, voice low, cutting across the quiet room. She narrowed her gaze, but said nothing. Kei looked to his side, let out a breath and shook his head at himself. 

“I’m eating.” He said in place of an apology. 

“Hm, well I left you some food just in case.”

“Thank you.” He said, looking at Akiteru again. They both watched every breath, seeming to hold their own so his could fill with more air. It was a silly thought that sprung to his head, but he still waited for each breath with anticipation. 

His mother looked at him again, gaze a bit warmer than before. “I’m proud of you, have I told you lately?”

Kei stiffened.

He then shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Akiteru would be so happy to see how you’re leading the company.”

“It isn’t a difficult process.” He replied, quick. 

His mother gave a soft laugh. “Hm, not to you.”

Kei shrugged again, a half lift of his shoulder. He felt that constriction in his throat and the same thoughts flooding him. 

_ Don’t deserve it. Don’t deserve -- It’s your fault. YOUR fault. Don’t deserve it... _

He shifted in his seat for a moment, his ears tuning to the beeping monitors, the footsteps of the nurses rushing back and forth in the hall, and the soft breathing aided by a machine. 

And suddenly, he felt it itching at him. All of it. 

He stood, slow, as not to disrupt his mother, although, floodgate was bursting in his chest. “I have to be up early --”

“Okay, dear -- remember there’s tupperware in the fridge.”

Kei nodded, took his jacket, felt his heart speed up as he retreated to the door. He turned his head to cast a glance at his brother, decided against it, then pushed the door open.

He walked the halls of the hospital for two minutes before holding onto the wall of a small, vacant hallway. His eyes drew tears, and he took two, maybe three, long, deep breaths. 

He quickly wiped his face. He was fine. He was fine. 

* * *

On his way home, Tadashi stopped by the grocery. 

At this point, the rain had danced and tangled it’s way across the sky, leaving a remaining gray color swirling overhead, morphing into the early hours of night. 

Tadashi took his change, wishing the cashier a safe night as he carried two bags filled with eggs, asparagus, and fish. As he walked his way toward the steps of his home, he couldn’t help the itch at the back of his head that he should go back and buy some milk. 

He froze at the door, held his breath, stiffened.

The bags weighed heavy at his hands, reached to the ends of his fingertips and fell to the porch in a heap. 

He couldn’t go inside. No matter how hard he thought about it, how much he wanted or willed his legs to move, he stayed planted to the spot. Fear pricked at him, and he wished it wouldn’t. He wished he could stay numb.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzz--

His phone vibrated. Immediately, widening his eyes, he pressed the red button on the screen, feeling his heart pound. But a light flickered on right behind the window of the front door, and it was too late to find a way out of the situation.

“Tadashi?” A woman asked, opening the door, concern filling her expression. Tadashi noted the charming wrinkles on her forehead, how her kind eyes flickered with worry. She held a phone in her hand, immediately setting it down and putting her hands on her hips.

“What are you doing out here? Come on, get inside -- and pick up the groceries, Tadashi, the ants will get all over them. Come on.” Her hand beckoned him forward and Tadashi swallowed, did as she said, and tried to muster a smile.

He shook his head, a small sound of breathy laughter leaving his mouth, but did not seem to reach him in whole. It was fake, he knew it was, but felt it was necessary. 

“Sorry, sorry. Was just thinking.”

He bent down to pick up the bags, inspecting the eggs to see if they’d cracked, as his mother shifted in place, a warm, knowing smile at her lips.

“Don’t tell me. It’s about asking for a raise again,” his mother raised a brow, as if to insinuate that that was exactly what was ailing her son and he could not say anything against it. Tadashi, eyes blinking toward the eggs as he closed the carton, swallowed, released a shaky laugh. His mother continued. “Honey, you need to speak up, I keep telling you, or you’ll never be able to get what you want-- or at least know if you can get it.”

Tadashi stood, scratched at the back of his head sheepishly. “I know, I know.”

“And you know you deserve it. No one has worked harder. That boss of yours needs to know which employees actually pull their weight-- get inside honey, the bugs will trail in. Again, as I say--”

“A closed mouth never gets fed.” He finished for her fondly, placing the groceries on the counter as she shut the door. His eyes glanced to the living room, illuminated by the flickering light of the television screen. A scattering of tissues lay on the small, round coffee table. A few medicine bottles lined the edge. 

Tadashi turned his head back to the kitchen.

“That’s right,” She nodded, patting his shoulder as she strode into the kitchen behind him. She eyed the groceries and knit her brows. Tadashi placed them in the fridge, avoiding her gaze. 

There was a silence that permeated the room, one that left Tadashi yearning to escape once more as he tapped his fingers on the fridge door. His mother sat at a stool, ran a hand through her hair, and took a breath, as if to say something. But Tadashi closed the fridge and spun around quickly.

“I think -- milk! That’s what I forgot.  I’m sorry, I should’ve gotten some. I’ll be right back --”

“Sit.” 

He stopped at the doorway, his mother’s voice stern in the silence. Eyes focused on the tiled floor, he turned and inched to the counter. His hands gripped the edge, turned his knuckles white.

A quiet followed. Until:

“What did the doctor say?”

Tadashi felt his brain spin and stop, seemingly at the same time. It was an aching feeling, one he was all too familiar with once before only to endure it again after two short, blissfully naive years. He closed his eyes, drew out a lungful of air.

“There’s options.” He spoke to the countertop.

“So, it’s back?”

“He said-- he said… treatments…” He felt his words stick to his dry tongue, couldn’t make them form.

His mother sighed across from him, and he winced. 

He hated the first part of all this. He hated the fear at the middle. He didn’t want to hate any more. But now, there  _ was _ more.

He felt his mother’s hand cover his own. He tried not to spill over the tears he held at bay.

“I’m sorry. I’m-- I’m being strong. I’m  _ trying _ \--”

“No, shh, it’s okay.” 

And it was all she said. Tadashi didn’t feel like it was okay. But he tried to believe her, tried to do the same for her.

“I’ll take care of you.”

“I know you will. I know.”

* * *

Kei sat at his desk. 

The light filtering from the windows cascaded into the office making rectangular shapes on the carpet. He found himself staring at the patterns, until he blinked, feeling the dryness of his eyes sting. He sighed into his hand, pushing it through his hair and trained his eyes to focus back on reviewing a new proposal. 

Things were simpler, for more reasons than one, before his brother’s incident… Before --

He shouldn’t be thinking about that. Not at work.

“It’s 7:15 and I want to die,” A man with bed hair groaned beside him, draping his arm over Kei’s shoulder. He flicked it off.

“Go do it somewhere else then.”

“So heartless,” the man chuckled.

Kei only shrugged, reading through the pile on his desk before gazing up again with a sigh. 

“Get out of my office.” He snapped his fingers for the man to leave, who was currently spinning in his chair, focused on balancing a pencil on his nose. Kuroo Tetsurou was a guy of many (self-proclaimed) talents, and bugging  _ the shit _ out of Kei was just one happy perk of them. 

“Oh. Yeah. I came in here to tell you something…” He said, catching the pencil in his lap as he quit spinning and dragged his chair with his feet next to Kei’s desk. 

“Tell me. Then leave,” Kei said. 

“Someone requested a meeting with you.” Tetsurou said, nonchalant, sliding his chair back to its original position, draping his legs over the back of it.

“I’m busy.”

“Alright, but they said it was urgent.” He replied with a shrug. “Best to see what one of your employees needs,  _ boss boy _ .”

For fucks sake, if the guy wasn’t one of the oldest (and most integral) parts of the department, Kei would have strangled him. That, and it would be hell explaining it to his neighbor, Kozume. 

Kei pointed to his desk with the end of his pen. “Busy. Tell them to schedule it with me.”

Tetsurou nodded, standing from the chair with eloquence. Before:

“Yeah, he says come on in!” He greeted the person on the outside, spinning around to greet the outsider, looking back at Kei with a shit-eating grin. “Nah, he’s not busy at all -- go ahead.”

Kei gripped his pen. 

“Tsukishima-san?” A head of brown hair popped out of the hallway. 

Kei peered up and sighed. When he looked up, his eyes met the man he’d shared a quiet gutter covered conversation with only yesterday, remembered their words mingled with the wind chimes and faraway clashes of thunder. 

Kei glanced back at his paperwork, pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I swear to god, I’m gonna fire him one of these days.”

Tadashi stood awkwardly at the doorway, smiling sheepishly, a red folder in hand.

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s Aki -- it’s my secretary… or something like that. He’s useless.”

“Oh, he told me to just walk in. But if you’re busy --”

“It’s fine. He mentioned it was urgent.” Kei looked up momentarily, then flickered his eyes to the seat in front of him, gestured for the other to ‘come in already and sit down’.

Tadashi, eyes widened, nodded and searched for his confidence. He gripped his hands together, holding the folder to his chest, then decided to place them at his sides as he walked into the room. He sat with hesitance, the light from the window blinding him, but he only squint his eyes and grinned, placing his hands and folder, firmly and strictly, at his knees, hopefully in a mature and businesslike manner.

Kei studied him for a moment, then placed his work aside. 

“Did you need something?” He asked after a beat of silence. Tadashi jolted upright, fumbled in his chair for a second.

“Yes. Right. I’m sorry --”

“Please don’t waste both of our time and say what you came in here for.”

Tadashi took a breath, eyes wide and smile too tight. He swallowed.

“I would greatly appreciate,” he started, taking a short pause for his next words. “If you would consider raising my pay.”

Tadashi willed himself to look the other in the eyes the whole time, an icy cold touch of fear stabbing his insides. He cleared his throat, praying his voice would not take a higher octave and break. Kei only watched him behind his desk, seeming thoughtful. Tadashi did not wait for an immediate rejection and held out his red folder, bowing his head.

“I’ve provided reasons, with evidence of the work I’ve brought to the company. I know I can’t simply ask and expect to receive-- and, I am aware there is no bias for situation,” he said the last part quickly, hinting at their conversation in the rain the day previous. 

Kei took the folder, seemed to only read half a sentence of the first page. He leafed through the rest, looking at numbers, skimming his eyes over text.

Tadashi felt his chances dwindling the more the other read through it.

“I strongly implore you to consider. I can work even harder --”

“ _ That’s  _ what was so urgent?” Kei shut the folder, placing one of his hands on the desk, the other rubbing his eyes. 

Tadashi smiled sheepishly, sinking into himself. “He said that’s the only way you’d meet with me. But, I never -- I never told him it was -- I’m, um, I’m very sorry for the confusion. I understand if that was unprofessional. I can schedule a better time.”

Tadashi felt his heart drop into his stomach. A hopelessness punctured his brain, left him wide-eyed and throat dry.

Kei waited a moment, then returned his folder.

“No need. You’ve worked harder than most others that have been here for longer, we’ve seen that. Anyways, it’s already considered.”

Tadashi couldn’t describe how quick the change of feeling left him. Instead, he took a form of shock, words hanging from his mouth as hushed mumbles.

“I can… you consid…? Hm?” He squeaked out the last part, then sat up straighter, clearing his throat. 

Kei raised a brow, glancing his eyes around the room.

“I’ve seen your work ethic and considered raising your pay anyway.”

Tadashi widened his eyes, nodded, felt the air in his throat tighten. “Thank you.” He released.

“Don’t thank me for paying you for what you’re worth,” he said. “Now, if that’s all, I have to catch up on this and you should take a few moments to clear your head. But -- do it somewhere else.”

Tadashi, finally able to register what had been spoken, stood abruptly, chair swiveling in place behind him, and nodded over and over, reaching out with his hand and grinning.

“Thank you, Tsukishima-san.”

Kei gave him a narrowed gaze.

“I told you not to thank--” 

Tadashi gripped his hand and shook it with glee. Kei was taken aback.

“I _want_ to thank you, though! Really, I-- you don’t know how much this will... I’m going to promise to work just as hard as I’ve already done. I just-- Is it unprofessional to say I want to hug you?”

Kei flicked his eyes back and forth as Tadashi registered his words and froze. 

“I mean -- I don’t know why I said that, but, thank you. I very much appreciate this meeting. I mean, meeting with you, since, I guess I didn’t actually schedule properly -- I’m going to do better with that --”

“That’s great,” Kei took back his hand and gestured to the door, a bit disheveled.

Tadashi, grin plastered to his face once more, nodded, and with one last ‘thank you!’ and bow of his head, disappeared into the hall. Kei knit his brows, shook his head at his desk, and stared hard at his paperwork. 

His hand felt tingly and his breath a little short. And maybe his ears were a little too warm for comfort or his head felt a little bit dizzier than before. He acknowledged that as having to deal with strange employees and their strange admiration in their eyes. No one felt that for Kei, or at least, no one should. 

He didn’t deserve any of it. He knew that. He knew that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> Okay, so, I haven't updated this in a year and I really needed to. I've got more ideas, and I know there are some holes in the plot that need to be filled, and trust me, they will be soon! (as well as edited) I won't wait an entire year to update this again, haha. This fic is honestly really close to my heart. And, please, if you have any comments or suggestions or critiques, let me know! Thank you so much for sticking with this, and let's finally get this ball rolling with the story. Have a lovely day or night <3
> 
> -Prolix


End file.
